Finding paradise
by Heliotrope
Summary: During a lull in the Festum attacks, Fumihiko gives the members of Alvis the afternoon off, and Kazuki and Soushi spend it together. KazuSou


FINDING PARADISE

Kazuki folded his jacket neatly, and put it back in the locker with the rest of his Alvis uniform.

He sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow. As usual, Tatsumiya island was blessed with a generously warm summer; a bit too warm for Kazuki's liking, and he was pleased to be out of that stuffy uniform and back in his thin - not to mention cool - orange shirt and blue jeans.

Slinging his well-worn lime green and white jacket over his shoulder, Kazuki headed off to the staff lounge, thinking back to his earlier conversation with his father...

_"The afternoon off?" Kazuki said, thoroughly perplexed. _

_"That's right. There isn't really much going on today," Fumihiko said, turning to face his son. "So I've given most of the personnel the afternoon off; including you. So you should make the most of it. By tomorrow the island could be swarming with Festum again."_

_"OK, dad, it's just... it's been so long since I've had a chance to relax, what with school work and the Festum, that I can't think of anything to do," Kazuki admitted. "I suppose I could go home and get started on dinner..."_

_"Oh, that reminds me; I have to finish up some paperwork tonight, and I won't be back until late," Fumihiko said. "So don't bother cooking anything for me."_

_"What?! But I already bought all the groceries yesterday!" Kazuki yelped, not bothering to conceal his annoyance._

_"Just use them tomorrow; I'm sure they won't go off by then."_

_"Dad! That's not the point--"_

Just thinking of it made Kazuki roll his eyes in exasperation. His father could be so dense sometimes; he could have at least told him about it this morning.

Kazuki sighed again and slumped down into one of the lounge chairs. "Now what am I going to do for the rest of the day?" he wondered out loud.

A soft sound from across the room made Kazuki glance up - his eyes widened at what he saw.

Soushi was curled up in one of the chairs, fast asleep, breathing evenly.

Kazuki guessed that Soushi must be feeling the heat, too, as the other boy had taken off his scarf, jacket and overcoat, leaving him in only the thin white undershirt. The first few buttons were undone, revealing his throat and collar bone.

Kazuki found himself staring, his breath caught in his throat. He soon shook himself out of his stupor, and dragged his eyes away from the other boy.

_'I shouldn't do that. He could wake up and catch me staring. Hey, I wonder if he'd-- No, no, I'm sure he's got better things to do today. But, maybe--_'

"Hmm..."

Kazuki's rambled thoughts were interrupted as Soushi slowly began to wake up. The blond yawned and stretched, opening his eyes to look blearily at Kazuki.

"Huh? Oh, Kazuki, what are you doing here?"

"Well, er, I finished my pilot training, and dad's given me the afternoon off, so I decided to come in here for a little while," Kazuki gabbled hastily, feeling strangely nervous.

"Me, too," said Soushi, sitting up in his chair. "I couldn't think of anything else to occupy myself."

"Me, too," Kazuki said, grinning softly in the darkened room. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It's fine, Kazuki. I had to get up at some time."

"That's alright then. Um, Soushi," Kazuki began, biting his lip. "I was wondering... would you like to come over to my house for dinner?"

Soushi blinked back at him curiously. "What, tonight? Won't you father mind? I don't want to impose."

"No, he has to stay here and work late tonight, so it'll just be the two of us." Kazuki realised a moment later that his words sounded somewhat suggestive, and he felt another blush creep across his face.

Soushi's expression brightened. "Oh, in that case, I wouldn't mind coming over; I have always enjoyed your cooking."

Kazuki glanced away modestly. "I-it's not that good," he stammered.

"Well, it's better than anything I could manage," Soushi continued. "Why do you think my room is right near a vending machine? The last time I tried cooking, I almost set my house on fire."

"Yes, I remember," Kazuki said. He paused, wondering how to phrase his next proposition. "So, Soushi, since we've got nothing better to do until I have to start cooking, why don't we take a walk around the island? You know, we could get a drink from your precious vending machine, go to the beach, see the sights; that sort of thing."

Kazuki was worried for a moment when Soushi just gazed back at him curiously. Spending the afternoon together and then having dinner? No matter how he worded it, it still sounded like a date to Kazuki.

_'Not that I wouldn't mind going out on a date with Soushi,_' said the part of Kazuki's mind that he tried to ignore. But when he was around Soushi, he found that increasingly difficult.

"OK, I'd love to," Soushi nodded, smiling almost shyly. "I've just got to go and get changed first."

* * *

Kazuki followed along after Soushi like an obedient puppy, as they headed down the hallway to the blond boy's room.

"Wait here for a minute. I won't be long," Soushi said, opening the door.

"OK, Soushi," Kazuki nodded as the door slid shut.

Kazuki leaned back against the cold grey wall, tapping his foot on the floor absently to pass the time.

"Kazuki-kun!"

"Huh?" Kazuki glanced around and saw Maya hurrying down the hallway towards him.

"Kazuki-kun, what are you doing just standing there?" Maya asked, a happy smile on her face.

"Oh, hello, Tomi; I'm just waiting here for Soushi. We're, er," Kazuki coughed and cleared his throat. "--We're going for a walk around the island, and then we're heading back to my house for dinner."

Maya raised an eyebrow and smiled in amusement. "That sounds like fun. Can I join you?"

"Oh, er, well, I kind of just wanted to spend some time alone with Soushi. And, um..." Kazuki trailed off, his gaze resting on the floor. He obviously hadn't heard the teasing tone to Maya's voice.

"That's OK, Kazuki-kun. I don't mind," Maya said, trying her best not to giggle. "Have fun on your date with Minashiro-kun."

That made Kazuki look up, a blush on his face. "Wait! What did you say?"

But Maya had already dashed off around the corner.

"Great, now she's going to be teasing me about this for days," Kazuki grumbled to himself, crossing his arms and hoping that Soushi wouldn't take too much longer.

* * *

As soon as the door slid shut, Soushi let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

He couldn't help but smile in delight; he was going on a date with Kazuki. Or at least, in his mind he was. He wasn't sure if Kazuki had actually meant it in that way.

... But he might have done, Soushi reasoned to himself. Kazuki had seemed very nervous when he'd made the suggestion. If it was just a friendly day out, why would he seem so awkward about it?

"Maybe I should just ask him," Soushi said out loud, opening his cupboard door and surveying the modest amount of clothing inside.

_'No, you don't want to do that!_' Soushi's paranoia whispered frantically inside his mind. _'What would happen if he doesn't think of it as a date?_'

Soushi sighed and pulled off the remainder of his Alvis uniform; it would probably be best if he just kept his mouth shut and see how things developed.

Soushi ran his eyes over his clothes, debating what to wear on his... outing with Kazuki.

He settled on his usual casual outfit when he wasn't in uniform - grey pants and a black, sleeveless top. But he left the grey undershirt in his cupboard; it was too warm for that today.

He clipped the little black choker securely around his throat, and hastily ran a brush through his un-tied hair.

With a final glance at the mirror, Soushi headed for the door.

* * *

Soushi found Kazuki still leaning against the wall, two cans of drinks in his hands.

"I took the liberty of buying us our drinks while you were changing," Kazuki said in explanation. "That way we don't have to hang around here anymore."

"Thanks. I'm sorry that I took such a long time."

Kazuki started at this. "Oh! No, Soushi, I wasn't trying to imply that you take ages picking out clothes, or anything like that."

"Kazuki--"

"It's just that I thought getting the drinks now would save us time."

"Kazuki--"

"I mean, it's already past lunchtime, and time is getting on, and--"

"Kazuki!"

"I-- Huh? What?" Kazuki asked, finally stopping his babbling apologies.

"It's OK, I wasn't offended," Soushi said, holding in a laugh.

"Oh, that's good," Kazuki said, greatly relieved. He handed Soushi one of the cans. "You like orange flavour, right?"

"Yes," Soushi said, accepting the drink. The way Kazuki smiled gently down at him filled him with the sudden urge to do something impulsive.

Leaning forward, Soushi took Kazuki's free hand in his own, holding it firmly.

Kazuki flushed at the unexpected contact, and he gazed back at Soushi with a baffled expression, which slowly turned to one of quiet delight.

"Well, shall we go?" Soushi asked, smiling all the while.

* * *

Kazuki and Soushi received numerous glances as they headed down the halls of Alvis, hand in hand.

As they stepped out into the afternoon sunshine, Kazuki felt his confidence soaring. Maybe Soushi did have some feelings for him; after all, he was holding his hand. And that was a very couple-y thing to do.

"Soushi," Kazuki started, trying to keep his voice steady. "Why did you take my hand back then?"

Soushi's eyes flickered down to their still-clasped hands, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"I just... wanted to," Soushi answered dumbly. "Why? Don't you like it?"

"Oh, no, it's not that," Kazuki answered quickly. "I'm really enjoying it, actually."

"I'm glad." Soushi turned and looked right at Kazuki, gazing at him with oddly determined blue eyes, as though he was about to say something important. "Kazuki, I... I just wanted to tell you that I... I... Um..."

"Yes? What is it, Soushi?" Kazuki whispered, his throat going dry with anticipation.

"I..." And then Soushi's courage seemed to falter, and he not-so-subtly pulled his hand away from Kazuki's. "It's nothing," he murmured, looking straight ahead. "So, where did you want to go first?"

"I'm not sure... how about you?"

"Don't ask me; this was your idea in the first place," Soushi said bluntly, the icy wall of defence that usually surrounded him firmly back in place.

Kazuki felt mildly disappointed. He'd been kind of hoping that Soushi would say the words he'd been longing to hear. That he--

"Why don't we go to the shrine?" Kazuki suggested. "It should be nice at this time of year. We can sit there and have our drinks."

Even though the shrine and the tree did bring back... unpleasant memories for Kazuki; things that Kazuki still hadn't forgiven himself for. It didn't help that he was reminded of it every time he looked at Soushi's face.

"OK, let's go," Soushi nodded, unaware of Kazuki's disturbed thoughts.

* * *

Kazuki sighed as he and Soushi sat down on the bench beneath the shrine entrance. The walk to the shrine had been rather tiring - especially in this heat - and Kazuki was looking forward to relaxing for a little while.

Kazuki opened his can of lemonade and took a long sip, closing his eyes as the cool liquid hit the back of his throat, refreshing him greatly.

Opening his eyes again, Kazuki glanced over at Soushi. He blinked in surprise as he noticed Soushi staring at him. But the other boy quickly looked away when he realised he'd been caught out.

"What is it?" the dark-haired boy inquired.

"It's nothing," Soushi said, taking a drink from his own can of orange. It was oddly relaxing here at the shrine, with nothing but the sounds of insects and the quiet jingle of the chimes as the summer breeze hit them.

Soushi stared ahead at the open field in front of them, where the old tree stood in the centre. That place wasn't quite so peaceful, he thought, unconsciously pressing one hand to the scar beneath his left eye.

Kazuki followed his gaze, and then noticed what Soushi was doing. He swallowed, a tight feeling suddenly blossoming in his chest; guilt.

_'It's my fault that happened to him,_' Kazuki thought sadly. _'And I still haven't apologised to him. Maybe I can change that now?_'

Soushi took in Kazuki's pensive expression, and smiled at him gently. "What are you thinking about, Kazuki?"

"I was thinking about what happened here all those years ago. And I realised I still haven't apologised to you about it yet."

"Kazuki, you don't have to--"

"Yes, I do have to," Kazuki cut in. Setting his drink down, he took Soushi's hands in his own and gazed into his eyes. "You don't realise how it's been all these years - how guilty I've felt about it. It's my fault you can't pilot a Fafner. It must have been terrible when you first found out about the Festum and the Fafner, when you tried to defend our home by piloting one, but found that you couldn't. All because of your eye. All because of me..."

Soushi gazed at him in disbelief. "Y-you've really been feeling guilty about this, haven't you?"

"Yes," Kazuki nodded adamantly, relieved to finally talk about it. "I thought you hated me because of what I did to your eye. That's why I started to avoid you."

"I thought you avoided me because you were afraid of me... because I tried to assimilate you."

"I could never hate you." Kazuki took a deep breath and said, "Soushi, I'm sorry for injuring your eye. And I'm sorry for running away and avoiding you when you were hurt."

"Thank you, Kazuki. But please don't blame yourself for the whole thing, as I'm partially to blame, too," Soushi said softly. "When we heard the Festum's voice through that radio, it... awakened something inside me; some Festum elements, I think. And I tried to assimilate you, and you pushed my hand away, and, well, you can see how I ended up. I never blamed you for my injury; you were just trying to defend yourself. It was an accident."

"I see," Kazuki nodded, looking far-away. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, as though he was considering his words. "Soushi, when I was captured by the Neo U.N, at one point Tsubaki appeared to me. She told me that your scar was precious to you; why is that?"

Soushi flinched and stared down at their hands. "Um, well, it's precious to me because... because you gave it to me."

"Oh..."

Soushi kept his gaze downwards, wondering what Kazuki was thinking about.

"... I left the island so that I could understand you more."

Soushi looked up. "What?"

"I thought that if I could see the outside world, the world that you'd seen, then I could understand you more," Kazuki continued. "When I was kidnapped, all I could think of was that I wanted to see you again. I didn't want to die without talking to you one last time. You're... very precious to me, too."

"Kazuki..." Soushi murmured, flushing pink.

"Soushi..."

Neither was sure who made the first move, or if they both moved together, but a moment later their eyes slid shut and their mouths met. It was a very brief kiss as both of them jolted back in surprise when they realised what was happening.

"Er, I..." Soushi stammered, flushing bright red and looking away self-consciously. He ran his tongue along his lips, smiling just the slightest bit. _'That was nice.'_

Kazuki's eyes followed Soushi's movement, and he swallowed lightly. _'I wish that could have lasted longer. Surely Soushi must love me, too - he kissed me!'_

"Ah, um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, er," Soushi rambled, not sure what he was saying, or why he was apologising; he just panicked and said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm not sorry; I enjoyed it," Kazuki said boldly.

_'Oh, now what do I do?_' Soushi pondered, blushing once again. _'I'm not very good at this sort of thing. Maybe I should just confess?_'

Soushi looked up into Kazuki's face and froze again. For some reason he just couldn't get the words out.

_'It's really stupid of me, but I can't help but wish that Kazuki would say the words first.'_

"Hey, Soushi," Kazuki gentle voice broke in. "It's getting rather late; maybe we should head to the beach now?"

'OK, Kazuki," Soushi agreed. _'I'm such a coward; why can't I just tell him that I love him? I will. By the end of today, I will tell him._'

* * *

The walk down to the beach was undertaken in silence, both boys being lost in their own thoughts about the events that had just transpired.

"Shall we sit down here?" Kazuki asked in a low voice. "We'll have a nice view of the sunset from here."

"The sun's setting already?" Soushi said questioningly, the warm breeze ruffling his hair. "Shouldn't we be getter back soon? What about dinner?"

"We'll just eat late, that's all."

The pair of them sunk down into the soft, inviting sand, gazing out across the vastness of the sunlit ocean.

"It's beautiful," Soushi whispered, taking in the view.

"Yes, it is," agreed Kazuki, although his eyes were on Soushi, and not the sunset.

Soushi jumped slightly as he felt Kazuki hesitantly putting his arm around him, placing his hand on Soushi's shoulder.

"Do you mind?" Kazuki whispered, his breath tickling the blond's ear.

"No, I like it," Soushi replied, leaning closer into his embrace and resting his head against Kazuki's own shoulder. Soushi closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. The whole afternoon had been almost too good to be true; like something out of one of his daydreams.

_'Tell him how you feel,_' his mind urged him.

"Kazuki--"

"Soushi--"

They both laughed nervously when they managed to speak at the same time.

"You go first, Kazuki."

"Oh, um, OK," Kazuki said. He felt something inside him shouting encouragement. "I... I... Soushi, I... I love you."

And suddenly it seemed like the easiest thing in the world for Soushi to say. "I love you too, Kazuki."

"Really?" Kazuki whispered in disbelief, afraid of breaking the fragile moment between them.

"Really," Soushi confirmed, turning to gaze into his stunned brown eyes.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that!" Kazuki stammered, trying to hold back his excitement. "Soushi, I--"

Kazuki was effectively silenced by Soushi pressing a finger to the dark-haired boy's lips, a finger which was soon to be replaced by his own lips.

This time the kiss lasted far longer. Soushi opened his mouth, allowing Kazuki to thrust his tongue inside and explore. They pulled away panting softly and gasping for air, their hands resting shyly on each others backs.

"Well, that was fun," Kazuki chuckled, feeling contentment run through his body. "What should we do now?"

"Head back to your house and have dinner?" Soushi suggested, still sounding somewhat out of breath.

"I suppose - that was the plan in the first place, after all," Kazuki agreed reluctantly; he was rather enjoying himself right here. "If we want to eat at all tonight I guess we do have to head back soon."

"Yes," Soushi nodded. "So, um, I guess this means we're a couple now, right?"

"If you want us to be."

"I do." Soushi smiled at him again; that bright, dazzling smile that he reserved only for Kazuki. "I love you."

Kazuki strongly suspected that he would never grow tired of hearing Soushi say those words. He returned the smile, eyes warmed by the setting evening sun. "I love you, too."

* * *

When they arrived back at Kazuki's house a short while later, the whole place was dark and silent. Kazuki flicked the lights on and ushered Soushi inside, gesturing for him to take a seat on the settee.

"My father's not back yet, I see," Kazuki commented, closing the door and hanging his jacked up.

"Well, it is only 9.30. And you did say he wouldn't be back until late," said Soushi, leaning back against the soft cushions.

"Yeah, but I wonder how late he meant by 'late'."

"Who knows? I... I hope it's not for awhile yet. It's nice here; just the two of us."

"Yeah, it is," Kazuki agreed.

The pair of them fell silent and found themselves just staring at each other awkwardly, neither sure what to say next.

"Um, well," Kazuki said at last, clearing his throat. "I'll get started on dinner." He headed off towards the tiny adjoining kitchen. "I won't make anything as elaborate as I was planning - seeing as it's so late. I'll just make us some soup instead."

"Hmm..." Soushi mumbled in response, his eyes closed as he stretched out and rested his head on the arm of the chair.

Kazuki watched him fondly; he hadn't realised that Soushi was this tired. Hopefully the food would wake him up a little.

_'And then after dinner we could continue what we started down on the beach,_' Kazuki's mind piped up. Kazuki blushed at such thoughts; although he had to admit, he wouldn't mind continuing... if Soushi agreed, that is.

Kazuki couldn't help but grin as he thought of the blond boy who lay resting in his living room. _'Soushi loves me. I can't believe it. He really loves me._'

The smell of burning brought him swiftly back down to earth.

Within a few minutes the meal was ready and Soushi managed to rouse himself enough to make it to the dinning table.

"This looks nice," he said, sitting with his knees bent and his legs tucked underneath him. He picked up a spoon and hastily started eating, realising just how hungry he was. "It tastes nice, too - not that I'd expect anything less coming from you, Kazuki."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it," Kazuki said, smiling at the compliment. "So, um, Soushi, what would you like to do after we've finished eating?"

Soushi glanced up from his food. A thoughtful look covered his face before he flushed lightly and looked away shyly; he could think of a few things he'd like to do with Kazuki. "Well, I'm not sure. Um, you think I should just go home... it is rather late after all."

"Why would I want you to do that? If I had things my way you'd never leave."

"It's just that you only invited me to dinner, and that's almost over..." Soushi trailed off.

"Yes, but that was before we... confessed our feelings to each other," Kazuki interjected, looking embarrassed again. "I love you, Soushi. And I want to show you that I love you. If you'd like me to."

Soushi stared at him silently, smiling in relief when he realised that Kazuki had been thinking along the same lines as he had. "I'd like that a lot, Kazuki," he whispered softly in reply.

* * *

The two boys stared at each other in anticipation as they stood beside the small bed in Kazuki's room, both feeling nervous, yet excited.

"So, er, why don't we sit down now?" Kazuki suggested, shifting his feet. Now that the moment he'd been waiting for had finally arrived, he found his confidence had escaped him.

"Okay," Soushi agreed readily, glad for an excuse to get off his feet, his legs feeling oddly shaky. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gazed at the floor, his hands clasped and resting in his lap.

'Soushi's on my bed' Kazuki thought before he could stop himself. It was like something out of one of his fantasies. Although in his fantasies he was usually far more confident and knew exactly how to act and what to say. Right now he felt a little lost for words.

"I suppose we shouldn't really be feeling this nervous," Soushi said suddenly as Kazuki sat down next to him.

"Huh?" Kazuki said, inwardly cursing himself at how stupid he must of sounded.

"I mean, people do... 'this' all the time. And we love each other a lot," Soushi continued evenly. "So logically should we be feeling this nervous?"

"Of course we should be - neither of us has had sex before--" Both boys blushed when Kazuki said this. "--and I don't want to disappoint you."

"Well, I don't want to disappoint you, either." Soushi sighed and took a deep breath. "Let's get started then."

"Get started? That's--" Kazuki didn't get to finish his sentence as Soushi's mouth covered his once again. In a way, Kazuki was glad that Soushi was feeling as awkward about this as he was. It made him feel, well, less awkward about it - if that made any sense.

"Soushi," Kazuki moaned against his lips, reaching out to run his hands through un-bond golden hair. He continued in a downwards directions, un-clipping the little collar from around Soushi's neck. He paused when he reached Soushi's shirt and glanced at the other boy inquiringly. "Soushi, can I...?"

Soushi nodded, shuddering as Kazuki's hands moved under the dark fabric and brushed against his skin. "Go ahead - as long as I get to undress you."

Kazuki pulled the shirt up slowly, his eyes transfixed by the sight of the pale skin that was revealed to him.

Soushi wasn't particularly muscular, never being all that athletic and having spent most of his life with his head buried in books (not to mention stuck behind computer monitors learning about Festum and Fafners) But to Kazuki he was perfect.

Soushi tried not to squirm under Kazuki's gaze; it felt like lasers travelling across his body. He shifted forward, clutching at the bright orange shirt that Kazuki wore. "Stop staring; it's my turn now, Kazuki," he whispered.

Kazuki nodded dumbly, his mouth going dry as Soushi pulled the thin fabric up and over his head. Kazuki was slightly more tanned and muscular than Soushi, and the blond found himself gazing at his body in appreciation.

"Now who's staring, Soushi?" Kazuki joked, chuckling softly. Soushi blushed and glanced away. "Although I guess I should feel flattered." He leant out and brushed his fingers along the blond's face. "I think you're beautiful, too. No scar could change that. I'm sure you must have worried about--"

"Yes, I had. Thank you." Soushi smiled and shifted closer, practically crawling into Kazuki's lap. He wrapped his arms around the dark-haired boy and nuzzled and licked his neck, long hair tickling his slightly sweaty skin.

"Soushi!" Kazuki gasped out, his body tensing. He slowly relaxed and closed his eyes, pulling Soushi even closer. He could still scarcely believe this was real. There were so many things he had longed to do with Soushi, for such a long time, and now it was finally happening.

"Hmm, Kazuki," Soushi mumbled, pulling back to gaze at him with heated eyes. "Do you think we should finish getting undressed now?"

"Yes," Kazuki answered instantly. He'd be glad to get out of his trousers. They'd become rather... uncomfortable in the last few minutes.

It didn't take them very long to strip out of the remainder of their clothes, and within moments they littered the floor in a colourful display as their owners moved to embrace each other again.

"Soushi," Kazuki whispered, sliding his hands down the other boy's back. "Which of us is going to, um..." He paused, his face colouring. "Um... be on top?"

"Well... Ah!" They both cried out as they hips brushed against each other roughly. "Kazuki... I-- I'd like it if you were, I think."

Kazuki suddenly grinned rather impishly. "Oh, so you'd like to--" he leaned in to whisper his words against Soushi's ear. "--ride my Fafner?"

Soushi found himself laughing at this. "Yes. So you'd like to... cross with my system?"

"I certainly would. Isn't it strange that so many of our common phrases can sound kind of dirty?"

"What, like 'becoming one'?"

"Yes, that too." Kazuki's face suddenly turned more serious and Soushi gazed at him in concern. "Um, Soushi. What are we going to do about, er, you know... Um... preparing you?"

Soushi sighed and leaned his head against Kazuki's chest, his face turning pink. "You don't have to be so embarrassed about it, Kazuki. Now - give me your hand."

"Huh? Why?" Kazuki asked, blinking owlishly, but complying with Soushi's request. He drew in a shuddering breath as Soushi took his middle and index fingers into his mouth and started to suck. "Ah... Soushi. That's--"

"Shh," Soushi mumbled around his fingers. When they were wet enough he withdrew the fingers and pulled Kazuki's hand downwards. "That should be enough. You can use them to stretch me. It will hurt me at first, but then it feels really good."

"How do you know that?" Kazuki asked, eyes wide with fascination as he pushed one finger inside. "I thought you said you'd never had sex before?"

"Kazuki!" Soushi called out as he flopped down onto the bed, his fingers clutching at the blanket. "Ah! U-use some common sense!"

"Huh? ...Oh! I see what you mean." Kazuki leant forward over Soushi's prone body, watching as the blond bit down hard on his lip to keep from crying out too loudly. "Are you sure you're OK?"

"Yes. Please, Kazuki... faster."

Kazuki nodded, brow furrowing in concentration, moving his fingers in and out swiftly while Soushi moaned and twisted on the bed beneath him. Seeing Soushi, who was usually so reserved and calm, begging and pleading with him in such a desperate way, was one of the most arousing sights Kazuki had ever witnessed.

"Soushi, is that enough? I want to be inside you soon," Kazuki whispered, trying to keep his voice steady. "Please, Soushi."

"OK, just give me a few seconds," Soushi said, shifting so that he could lie more comfortably, lifting his legs up and resting them on Kazuki's shoulders. They both cried out each other's names again as Kazuki moved forward, pressing their erections together. "Kazuki, hurry; I don't think I can last much longer."

"Alright," Kazuki panted. He spat into his hand and then coated his erection with saliva. Thinking back to what Soushi had done with his fingers, he wished the blond could have helped him out in this department - Oh, well; maybe next time.

Taking a firm hold of Soushi's hips, Kazuki thrust forward, sheathing himself inside Soushi's body as swiftly as he could. He let out a low moan and slumped forward, gasping against Soushi's neck. "Oh, Soushi... you feel wonderful. Are you alright?"

Soushi lay frozen underneath him, his body ridged. He let out a soft, choked cry, and felt tears running down his face. "It's OK. It's just... it hurts," he whispered painfully. "But at the same time it feels good to have you inside me. I have to try and relax... Please, start moving again, Kazuki."

Kazuki just nodded in reply, pulling out and thrusting back in again. He took one hand away from Soushi's hip and started to stroke his erection, hoping it would take his mind off the pain.

"A-ah! Kazuki! More!"

"Soushi," Kazuki growled through gritted teeth. He did a few clumsy thrusts from different angles, trying to find one that gave Soushi the most pleasure. On the third thrust Soushi arched off the bed, calling out his name desperately.

"Yes! There, Kazuki! Do that again!" Soushi demanded, legs sliding down and wrapping around Kazuki's waist.

After a couple more rough thrusts Kazuki felt Soushi's body tightening around him, and then suddenly he came, calling out Kazuki's name heatedly.

"Kazuki!"

"Soushi," Kazuki said, unable to stand the wave of sensations that washed over him. He leant forward and brought their mouths together, muffling his own cries as he reached his climax.

As they slowly began to get their breath back, Kazuki moved off of Soushi and laid down beside him, pulling the covers up over their bodies.

Soushi let out a quiet sigh, his eyelids fluttering tiredly as he snuggled against Kazuki.

Kazuki glanced down at him anxiously. "So, was that alright then?"

"Yes," Soushi answered simply, a satisfied smile on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

The bright summer sunlight was streaming down cheerfully as a rather worn-out looking Fumihiko fumbled for the front door handle. Stifling a yawn, he managed to get the door open and enter the house, closing the door again quietly behind him. It was still rather early and he didn't want to wake up Kazuki.

As it turned out, Fumihiko had ended up staying at Alvis all night, since the paperwork had taken far longer than he'd anticipated (although he had fallen asleep at his desk for a couple of hours - not that anybody else needed to know about that...) and he had only popped back home to grab some breakfast and to assure Kazuki that he hadn't been abducted by Festum or suffered some other terrible fate.

As he was hanging his coat up on the rack, Fumihiko glanced down and noticed an unfamiliar pair of shoes resting on the mat besides Kazuki's.

_'That's strange; does Kazuki have someone here?_' he pondered, moving through the house towards the kitchen. He noted with interest the dirty saucepan and soup bowls resting in the sink, waiting to be washed.

"I guess Kazuki found some way to amuse himself last night," Fumihiko mused to himself, shoving some pieces of bread into the toaster. "I wonder if I should make some for Kazuki, too. He'll probably want something to eat before he heads off to Alvis..."

* * *

Kazuki's eyes slowly began to open. With a soft smile he noticed that Soushi was pressed up against him, his sleeping face resting against his shoulder as though it was a pillow.

Kazuki quickly became more awake as the sounds coming from downstairs reached his ears. Pulling himself away from Soushi's embrace he sat up, head cocked to one side as he listened intently. "I wonder what that is."

"...Kazuki?"

Kazuki glanced down a Soushi. The blond was gazing up at him with sleep-clouded blue eyes. "What's going on, Kazuki?"

"I can hear something moving about downstairs. Wait here; I'll go and check it out."

Not waiting for a reply, Kazuki swiftly pulled on a t-shirt and some pyjama bottoms before moving stealthy out of the door and towards the stairs. When he neared the bottom he was taken-aback by who he saw. "Dad?"

Fumihiko was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper as he ate his toast. He glanced up when he heard Kazuki's voice. "Good morning, Kazuki."

"Good morning, dad."

Kazuki came and sat down beside him, feeling slightly on edge. "Er, when did you get back?"

"About ten minutes ago."

"Oh, I see," Kazuki nodded, relaxing into the chair. '_Good_,' he thought. _'It would be really embarrassing if he'd returned last night and overheard me and Soushi. We'd have a lot of explaining to do..._'

Kazuki's relief was short-lived as at that moment Soushi's voice came sailing down the stairs. "Kazuki, what are you doing down there? Come back to bed!"

Kazuki knew he was blushing. He had to be. He suddenly had the overwhelming urge for the floor to open up beneath him so that he could disappear from the surprised look his father was aiming at him.

"Kazuki," Fumihiko began slowly.

"...Yes, dad?" Kazuki said weakly.

"Would you mind telling me--"

"Kazuki!" Soushi voice cut in, sounding closer than before. The blond appeared at the top of the stairs and Kazuki found himself staring again. Soushi appeared to be clad in a t-shirt several sizes too big (briefly Kazuki recalled having received it from well-meaning relative one birthday, who had neglected to find out what size he was) The shirt stopped just above his knee, showing off a good deal of thigh.

Soushi froze when he saw Fumihiko sit there next to Kazuki. His face paled dramatically and for a second Kazuki was worried he might faint. "C-commander Makabe! I, er... good morning."

"Good morning, Soushi-kun," answered Fumihiko, as though nothing were amiss. "Come down here and have some breakfast with us."

"Er, OK," Soushi stammered, feeling a little more composed. Fumihiko couldn't be too mad at him, since he hadn't started screaming or thrown him out of the house yet.

It should be obvious to even an idiot what he and Kazuki had been up too; especially since their night-clothes weren't wrinkled and had clearly been thrown on in haste so that they wouldn't be walking around naked - and Fumihiko was no idiot.

Still feeling nervous, Soushi pulled out a chair and sat down next to Kazuki. The boys exchanged awkward glances.

"I like the outfit," Kazuki whispered to Soushi discretely.

"Not now," Soushi hissed back, nudging him in the side, not so discretely.

"So, is there anything you two would like to tell me?" Fumihiko asked, a smile playing at his lips.

The boys looked at each other again before Kazuki hesitantly spoke up. "Um, yes, there is." He stopped to gather his nerves. "Dad, Soushi and I are a couple."

"Congratulations."

"...Huh?" the two asked in unison.

"You're not upset?" Kazuki asked, looking like he couldn't quite believe it.

"Of course not; why would I be?"

"Because we're both boys," Soushi said plainly, his gaze fixed on the tabletop.

Fumihiko chuckled. "That doesn't bother me in the slightest; you can't help who you're attracted to."

Kazuki felt himself smiling. This was going better than he'd expected. He wasn't really sure why he thought his father would disapprove in the first place; he guessed it was just paranoia.

"Yes, I'd always thought you two would get together; it was only a matter of time. I mean, it was pretty obvious to everyone that you liked each other," Fumihiko continued.

Soushi looked up swiftly. "It was?!"

Kazuki thought back to what Maya had said to him the night before, about how she hoped he enjoyed his "date" with Soushi. What his dad said was probably true. "I think it was obvious to everyone but us."

Fumihiko nodded, before going back to his breakfast. A few minutes later he got to his feet. "Well, I'd better head back to Alvis now. I'll see you two there in a little while; don't forget you've got pilot training today, Kazuki."

"I know, dad. See you later."

"See you later, Fumihiko-san."

Kazuki and Soushi sat in silence until Fumihiko left, enjoy the brief moment of peace and quiet. They knew that soon they'd have to return to Alvis, too, and back to the daily fight against the Festum.

"Soushi. It's good isn't it, that dad knows about us? You're not annoyed that he found out?"

"I was worried at first that he'd disapprove," Soushi admitted, idly picking up a piece of toast. "But obviously he's happy for us. So yes, it is a good thing."

"Hmm," Kazuki nodded. "Soushi..." he started, his voice taking on a warm, loving tone. "You know back when this all started, when the Festum first came to this island?"

Soushi stared back at him expectantly. "Yes?" he whispered.

"I ask you where we were going and you said 'to paradise'. Well... I think we've arrived."

"Yes, I think you're probably right."

* * *

The end.


End file.
